After signing Smith to a four-year extension worth $94 million Jonathan Villar Jersey , the Redskins then began looking at the other holes on their roster.
Super Bowl MVP QB-turned senior vice president of football operations Doug Williams said Smith looked at Washington's weapons and offensive line before deciding to essentially complete the trade from Kansas City by agreeing to the extension.
Most things are fine on offense if oft-injured tight end Jordan Reed and the line anchored by left tackle Trent Williams stay healthy and new receiver Paul Richardson provides a speed threat along with high-jumper Josh Doctson and possession guy Jamison Crowder.
Then there's the ground game, where only four NFL teams rushed for fewer yards than the Redskins with a combination of Rob Kelley, Samaje Perine and third-down back Chris Thompson.
It's not a great sign that Cousins led the Redskins in rushing touchdowns. So before introducing Smith, Williams glanced at him and said: "I promise you, we'll get the running back situation straight."
The draft gives Williams the opportunity to find that running back, even if it's not in the first round with the 13th pick. The closest running back to making an immediate impact like Leonard Fournette for Jacksonville, Penn State star Saquon Barkley, will be long gone by then.
Georgia's Sony Michel, N.C. State's Jaylen Samuels, Iowa's Akrum Wadley or even Fordham's Chase Edmonds could be later-round targets for Washington, which traded its third-rounder in the Smith deal but has seven more selections after No. 13: Nos. 44 (second), 109 (fourth), 142 and 163 (fifth) Authentic Dallas Goedert Jersey , 205 (sixth) and 231 and 241 (seventh).
"Everybody wants to upgrade, and we want to upgrade everywhere if we could," Williams said Tuesday while praising Perine and Thompson when healthy. "Running back is a place that we always say we need a little more help."
Going defense in the first round for the second consecutive year is a strong possibility with needs along the defensive line and in the secondary.
Landing Alabama defensive tackle Jonathan Allen at pick 17 a year ago was a coup for the Redskins, but his injury exposed their lack of depth.
"When we lost Jonathan, things really seemed to kind of change, and that's unfortunate," linebacker Ryan Kerrigan said. "Jon was as advertised in how he played the run and how he played the pass and how he got after the passer, so his loss was huge."
Defensive tackles Vita Vea from Washington and Da'Ron Payne from Alabama are projected to be mid-first-round picks.
Some other things to consider for the Redskins at the draft:
SECONDARY CONCERNS
Beyond top cornerback Josh Norman and safety D.J. Swearinger, Washington has question marks all over its secondary and is counting on young and/or injury-prone players to take a lot of snaps. Second-year cornerback Fabian Moreau and safety Montae Nicholson, converted receiver Quinton Dunbar and recently signed Orlando Scandrick are in the mix, but the Redskins could use some help there.
If a defensive back such as Alabama's Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ohio State's Denzel Ward or Florida State's Derwin James are available at 13, the Redskins could make an immediate upgrade in an important spot.
ONE BIG HOLE
Left guard is the only position on the roster that doesn't have a likely starter already unless Washington's front office experiences a change of heart and brings back Shawn Lauvao. Getting Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson would be a dream at 13 Cheap Dorian O'Daniel Jersey , though it's more likely the Redskins find a fit later in the draft after doing the same with center Chase Roullier last year.
Williams allowed for the possibility that Arie Kouandjio could start at left guard.
"We're not going in saying, 'We got to get a guard,'" he said. "That's not where we are at this point because we got enough guys around here that if we have to play the game, if everybody was healthy today with what we have, we would have no problem lining up playing the game."
TIGHT END INSURANCE
While Reed is an elite talent and a matchup nightmare, injuries limited him to six games last season and 12 in 2016, second tight end Vernon Davis is 34, 2017 pick Jeremy Sprinkle is unproven and Niles Paul is gone. All that makes tight end an intriguing position for the Redskins if they can find someone there who can catch passes and serve as a blocker.
LINEBACKER DEPTH
Washington's starting linebacking group is set with Zach Brown and Mason Foster inside and Kerrigan and Preston Smith outside. Beyond that, depth is lacking, making soon-to-be 20-year-old Tremaine Edmunds out of Virginia Tech is a possibility in the first round. A hybrid linebacker/safety would also help the Redskins replace 2016 third-rounder Su'a Cravens, who left the team while contemplating retirement last season and was traded to Denver.
HITS, MISSES AND BARGAINS
Right guard Brandon Scherff has been a no-doubter making the Pro Bowl twice since going fifth overall in 2015.
Thompson was the Redskins' offensive MVP last season after being a fifth-round pick in 2013, and 2016 fifth-rounder Matt Ioannidis could be a fixture on the defensive line for years.
Misses are far more frequent for Washington in recent years Shaquem Griffin Jersey Seahawks , including most of the 2014 class. WR Josh Doctson, a first-rounder in 2016, is still a question mark.
The Panthers have signed three potential starters in the second wave of free agency.
Carolina signed safety Da’Norris Searcy and cornerback Ross Cockrell to two-year contracts on Friday and guard Jeremiah Sirles to a one-year deal. The financial terms were not released, although Cockrell’s agency Reign Sports Management announced on Twitter his deal was worth $6.8 million.
Searcy and Cockrell both have North Carolina ties and were teammates before with the Buffalo Bills in 2014. It didn’t take them long to resume their trash talking with Searcy having played at North Carolina and Cockrell from rival Duke.
”There has been plenty of it already,” Cockrell joked on a conference call Friday.
Added Searcy: ”Oh yeah, it started when we got off the plane. We already played together and we carried that relationship over from Buffalo.”
All three free agents fill vacancies left from last season and could start for the Panthers in 2018.
Searcy was brought in to compete for a starting safety position that opened up when the team released veteran Kurt Coleman.
Searcy is a seven-year NFL veteran who spent the past three seasons with the Titans after four seasons (2011-14) with the Bills. His most productive season came in 2014 when he had 65 tackles and three interceptions.
Searcy played in all 16 games last season for the Titans with six starts, recording 27 tackles, one quarterback pressure, one interception and two passes defensed. He also had six stops on special teams.
He lost his starting job last season, but said he still sees himself as a starter.
”Situations change,” Searcy said. ”I took it on the chin and still helped the team and played excellent when I was there. I will carry myself as a starter and let the chips fall where they may.”
Cockrell, a four-year NFL veteran, is expected to compete for the starting cornerback spot created when Panthers general manager Marty Hurney traded away Daryl Worley to the Eagles for wide receiver Torrey Smith earlier this month.
”I am ready to come in and make plays on the ball Bob Feller Jersey ,” Cockrell said. That is what I do.”
Cockrell played in all 16 regular season games with nine starts for the Giants last season and led the team with 11 passes defensed. He also had 49 tackles and a career-high three interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown.
He was drafted in the fourth round in 2014 and has played in 53 career games with 31 starts over his four-year career. Since entering the league he has recorded 153 total tackles, 32 passes defensed and five interceptions.
It will be a homecoming for Cockrell, who grew up in the Charlotte area and played at Charlotte Latin High School.
”It’s a great pleasure to come back and rekindle some family ties,” Cockrell said. ”This is great place to play football. We are not too far removed from a 15-1 season and a Super Bowl.”
Sirles enters his fifth season, having spent the past three with the Vikings and will have a chance to compete for the starting guard spot vacated when All-Pro Andrew Norwell signed with the New York Giants.
Sirles has played in 30 career NFL games with 15 starts.
He played in 14 regular season games with four starts last season for the Vikings, with all four coming at left guard.
The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Sirles helped the Vikings rank seventh in the NFL in rushing yards with 122.3 yards per game. In his starts, Minnesota averaged 132 yards rushing yards per game, nearly 10 yards more than the season average.
He started a career-high 10 games while playing in 14 in 2016.
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